TRUCK CRASH ON ROUTE 78 UNION TOWNSHIP

On June 24, State Police units and hazardous materials crews shut down Route 78 in both directions between exits 12 and 17 after a tractor trailer rear-ended a tanker truck carrying compressed liquid oxygen.

The driver of one of the vehicles had to be extricated from his truck and was flown by helicopter to a hospital and treated for injuries following the Union Township Truck Accident.

The tractor trailer struck the tanker truck between exits 12 and 13 of Route 78 West around 10:50 p.m., completely flattening the front end of the vehicle against the back of the oxygen containment tank.

As we have expressed in many of our blogs in the past, we continuously see tragic incidents on our roads and highways in New Jersey involving large trucks. Our smaller cars share the roads with these large vehicles on a daily basis and although we are not saying that truck drivers are bad drivers, we are saying that because of the size and weight of their vehicles, they must drive with extreme caution.

This particular case involved two truck drivers. Both of these drivers, because they were working at the time, may be entitled to worker’s compensation benefits. Worker’s compensation benefits are available to injured workers regardless of who is at fault. These benefits pay for medical treatment, lost time from work and a lump sum amount based on permanent disability.
The driver of the truck that was struck from behind may also be able to maintain a separate lawsuit against the company and the driver of the truck that struck him. This is in addition to his worker’s compensation claim. We call this claim a third party claim. In this claim he can receive additional compensation for his injuries, time missed from work and future medical treatment and pain and suffering.

If you are injured in New Jersey in a truck related accident, it is imperative that you contact an experienced New Jersey truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. The lawyers at Lependorf and Silverstein have experience in handling these cases and will make sure that your legal rights are protected and that you will receive all of the compensation that you are entitled to under the laws of the State of New Jersey.